The
Episcopal News Update

A weekly newsletter serving the Diocese of Los Angeles
July 18, 2021
News
Students at St. John's Episcopal School, Rancho Santa Margarita, enjoy picture books at the school library. Photo from school website
Episcopal schools face challenge of teaching diversity, equity, inclusion

by Pat McCaughan

[The Episcopal News] For Chris Dennis, incorporating diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) into Campbell Hall student experiences can be as simple a conversation as, “Who are the adults in your life every day? What do you know them as? What do you call them?

“Some will say, I have a Black mom and a white dad. I’m biracial,” said Dennis, the North Hollywood school’s associate head of community engagement. “You can open up the conversation and ask if anyone knows what biracial or multiracial means and can you understand that some students may have people in their family that you don’t have?”

Similarly, St. Margaret of Scotland School in San Juan Capistrano uses a “windows and mirrors” approach to equip students for becoming beloved community in an increasingly pluralistic society, according to Victor Cota, director of equity and inclusion.

“We want our students to be exposed to windows into other cultures, backgrounds and experiences, and that all students would see themselves mirrored or represented culturally, socially, racially, ethnically, and honored in their academic experiences,” said Cota, who also teaches a Wealth, Poverty and Ethics course at the 1,250-student preschool-through-12th-grade institution.

“My kids go to school here,” Cota added. “It’s the idea that Noah and Gabby are exposed to authors from different faith backgrounds … to other gender identities and that they get mirrors to see themselves represented, as Latinx, Latinos, and to experience strong male and female characters. As kids get older and are making their way, the idea is that if they’ve had many experiences in an academic setting, they’re prepared to wrestle with deeper and more real-world sorts of things that are not homogeneous, not just one way.”

He recalled a current events assignment, which prompted junior and senior high school students to grapple with the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “There are many different ways to view the situation, and when they are ready to arrive at a confident take, they can form their own understandings. It is not simple.”

Read more here.
New Emergency Appeal grants help congregations, institutions 'keep on keeping on'

[The Episcopal News] Six congregations and two diocesan institutions will benefit from new grants from the Diocese of Los Angeles' One Body & One Spirit Emergency Appeal, which has raised a total of $287,400 since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Corporation of the Diocese awarded the eight new grants, which total $57,240, at its June meeting. The corporation has made 34 grants to date to congregations and institutions financially hard hit by the pandemic.

As congregations and ministries resume in-person services and other events, grants will fund equipment, supplies and repairs to help support rebuilding and reopening, according to Jessica Savage of CCS Fundraising, which is assisting the diocese with the emergency appeal.

"Many are reopening facilities and need assistance to do so safely," she told The Episcopal News. "With the considerations that many have tightened budgets, dipped into reserves, and so on, this round of grants will help institutions 'keep on keeping on' in this stage of rebuilding."

New grant recipients are:

  • Bloy House (Episcopal Theological School Los Angeles): $7,500 for technology upgrades for online instruction opportunities beyond the pandemic
  • Christ the Good Shepherd Church, Los Angeles: $7,500 for parking lot repairs
  • Holy Communion Church, Gardena: $6,040 for reopening costs including repairs and technology upgrades
  • Neighborhood Youth Association: $7,500 for an air filtration system for elementary school classrooms
  • St. Anselm of Canterbury Church, Garden Grove: $7,500 for sanctuary repair including termite eradication, roofing and a door
  • St. John’s Church, La Verne: $6,200 for kitchen appliance repairs
  • St. John’s Cathedral, Los Angeles: $7,500 for technology upgrades to improve livestreaming
  • St. Mark’s Church, Van Nuys: $7,500 for digital ministry start-up costs.

“Every dollar awarded through the Emergency Appeal grants is at work helping local congregations and institutions respond in practical ways to needs created by the pandemic,” says Bishop John Harvey Taylor. “I thank each donor for sharing in this vital work, and I commend the joint effort of the Special Committee on Incorporation of Parishes and Missions and the Corporation of the Diocese for invaluable discernment and stewardship in grant-making that reflects our diocesan unity in ‘One Body and One Spirit.’”

Gifts to the One Body & One Spirit Emergency Appeal are welcome and may be made online here or made payable to the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles and sent by postal mail to Bishop John Harvey Taylor, care of Canon Gail Urquidi, Finance Office, 840 Echo Park Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90026.
Update continues on summer schedule

The Episcopal News Update is being published according to its biweekly summer schedule.

The Update will be published for the following dates:

August 1 (publication July 28)
August 15 (publication August 11)

The regular weekly schedule will resume after Aug. 15.

Items for the Update may be emailed to news@ladiocese.org. Deadline for each issue is Tuesday at noon.
Servants of the Spirit: Gifts for Ministry
Financial, stewardship workshops added to online series

Three summer sessions sponsored by the Program Group on Stewardship and Sustainability have been added to the diocese's series of online ministry workshops, titled "Servants of the Spirit: Gifts for Ministry."

New workshops are:

SATURDAY, JULY 24, 9 a.m.
Mayordomía en La Magdalena (Stewardship at La Magdalena)
Presenter: the Rev. Roberto Martínez Morales. The workshop will be offered in Spanish with simultaneous English translation.
Register here

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 4, 7 p.m.
Inspiring Intergenerational Giving
Presenter: Davey Gerhard, Executive Director of TENS (The Episcopal Network for Stewardship
Register here

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 7 p.m.
Transparency in Budgeting
Presenter: Ms. Terry Knowles of the Program Group on Stewardship
Register here

All workshops in this series have been livestreamed and recorded. Learn the latest best practices for church vitality, finance, digital media, and more. Choose from the full series of 13 webinars here.
Events & Announcements
Santa Clarita congregation hosts series on Alzheimer's and dementia

A series of online programs on Alzheimer's and dementia and their effect on patients and families is in progress at St. Stephen's Church, Santa Clarita, presented through the California Southland chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 5 - 6 p.m.
Understanding Alzheimer's and Dementia
Register here or call Sivana Lavine at 818.446.1573
Alzheimer's is not normal aging. It’s a disease of the brain that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. Join us to learn about: the impact of Alzheimer’s; the difference between Alzheimer’s and dementia; disease stages and risk factors; current research and treatments available to address some symptoms; and Alzheimer’s Association resources. A flyer is here.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 5 - 5:45 p.m.
Dementia Conversations
Register here or call Sivana Lavine at 818.446.1573
When someone shows signs of dementia, it’s time to talk. Conversations with family about changing behaviors can be challenging and uncomfortable. This program offers tips on how to have honest and caring conversations to address some of the most common issues. Topics to be covered in the program include: going to the doctor; deciding when to stop driving; making legal and financial plans. A flyer is here.

Sessions are free, and all are invited.
Screening of documentary on 'The Men of Hula,' followed by discussion, to be hosted by The Gathering

The Gathering: A Space for Asian Pacific American Spirituality will host a screening of the documentary Nā Kamalei: The Men of Hula, an exploration of Native Hawaiian culture via Zoom on Saturday, July 17 at 2:30 p.m. A conversation with film director Lisette Marie Flanary and the Rev. Keleawe Hee of St. Andrew's Cathedral, Honolulu, will follow at 4 p.m.

The documentary captures the journey of legendary master teacher Robert Cazimero and the only all-male hula school in Hawai’i. The film follows the dancers – who range in age from 18 to 55 years old – as they return to the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival, the world’s largest hula festival. More information about the film and the director is available here.

The Gathering is a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles to Asian Pacific Americans. It holds events to engage topics relevant to Asian Pacific American communities and offers a space for Asian Pacific Americans to gather to share in their spiritual journeys.

The event is free. Register here to receive the Zoom link. For additional information, email TheGatheringEDLA@gmail.com.
In the congregations
Churches continue blood drives throughout the summer and beyond

Blood supplies are critically low in California, and congregations in the Diocese of Los Angeles have stepped up to help replenish them by hosting blood drives. Currently scheduled events are listed below.

Additional helpful resources from the American Red Cross:

Donors may save up to 15 minutes by completing pre-donation reading and answering health history questions here, rather than filling out forms on the day of donation.

Reservations through the Red Cross are required. All donors and staff will be screened before entering the facilities.

THURSDAY, JULY 23, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. (note corrected hours)
St. Ambrose Episcopal Church
830 W. Bonita Avenue, Claremont 91711
Information: 909.626.7170
Reservations here or call 1.800.RED.CROSS (1.800.733.2767)
Sponsor code: stambrose

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
525 E. 7th Street, Long Beach 90813-4503
Reservations here or call 1.800.RED.CROSS (1.800.733.2767)
Drive ID number: 006389089 (or search by zip code and date)

MONDAY, JULY 26, 10:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
St. Alban’s Episcopal Church
12692 Fifth Street, Yucaipa 92399
Reservations here or call 1.800.RED.CROSS (1.800.733.2767)
Sponsor code: ST ALBANS
Upcoming dates at this location are Mondays; Aug. 23, Sept. 27, Oct. 18, Nov. 22 and Dec. 27.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 17, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
All Saints Episcopal Church
132 N. Euclid Avenue, Pasadena 91101.
Reservations here or call 1.800.RED.CROSS (1.800.733.2767)
Sponsor code: ASEC
Upcoming date at this location is Aug. 17.

MONDAY, AUGUST 16, 1 - 7 p.m.
Christ Episcopal Church
1127 N. San Antonio Avenue, Ontario 91762
Informatiocn: 909.983.1859
Reservations here or call 1.800.RED.CROSS (1.800.733.2767)
Sponsor code: CCPOntario
Additional dates at this location: Thursday, Sept. 16; Thursday, Oct. 7; Thursday, Nov. 11; Saturday, Dec. 11.

Will your church host blood drives in coming months? Send the information to news@ladiocese.org for inclusion in the calendar. Please include the date, times, location and spon
Reminders
GFS offers September weekend camp for girls and their 'mama bears'

Girls Friendly Society Los Angeles invites girls ages 6 and up and their mothers, grandmothers, aunts or female mentors to register for "Me and My Mama Bear" Camp Sept. 17 - 19 at Camp Wrightwood.

Overnight and one-day options will be available for the camp, which will be operated using social distancing and other precautions as needed, depending on CDC guidelines at that time.

Registration opened on June 15 and will close July 15; early registration is encouraged. Girls do not have to be members of GFS to register or attend.

A flyer with complete cost, safety and registration information is here. For additional information, email gfscalifornia@gmail.com.
From the wider Episcopal Church
Union of Black Episcopalians invites all to ‘outpouring of Spirit’ for churchwide revival

By Pat McCaughan

[Episcopal News Service - July 13, 2021] – The 53rd annual conference of the Union of Black Episcopalians this year will include “a fresh wave of divine love, guidance and power,” in the form of a good old-fashioned revival, and everyone’s invited.

The online churchwide “Lift Every Voice and Sing” gathering from July 27-30 will feature 7 p.m. EDT nightly spirited worship; daily noon plenary sessions examining systemic racism, inclusion, challenges to voting and civil rights; a celebration of the late Rt. Rev. Barbara C. Harris, The Episcopal Church’s first woman bishop, and commemoration of the 40th publishing anniversary of the African American hymnal echoed in the revival’s theme. It will also memorialize the disproportionate number of African Americans who died from COVID-19.

“Revival has always played an important part in our relationship with God,” said the Very Rev. Kim Coleman, UBE national president. “From the days of Ezekiel when God asked, ‘Can these dry bones live?’ to a frightened, disheartened band of disciples locked away in an upper room, people of faith have hungered for a fresh outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit and a renewal in mission, purpose and identity.”

Coleman and others, including UBE Second Vice President Ayesha Mutope-Johnson, said that the isolation and disproportionate effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with racially motivated police violence and systemic racism, have created a need for revival.

“The idea is to look at our struggles of today, lament if we want, but consider the strength we have brought into today, and that will take us into tomorrow with hope and joy,” Mutope-Johnson said.

Black Episcopalians “have been a gift to The Episcopal Church from the church’s early beginnings,” Coleman added. “This is an opportunity for the wider church to glimpse how people of color live into the faith and worship traditions we all hold dear.”

Read more here.
Online Convocation of Prayer for the 80th General Convention planned for July 17

[The Episcopal Church - July 13, 2021] On Saturday, July 17, at 2 p.m. Eastern, bishops, deputies and alternate deputies of The Episcopal Church will gather online for a convocation of prayer to prepare for the 80th General Convention, which will take place in July 2022 in Baltimore, Maryland. The service will be open to everyone here.
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry (pictured above left) will preach, and House of Deputies President Gay Clark Jennings (pictured at left) will give opening remarks and officiate at the service, which will be led by deputies, bishops and others from across the church. The service is scheduled for the Feast of William White, who was the only person to serve as both The Episcopal Church’s presiding bishop and president of its House of Deputies.

The General Convention is the governing body of The Episcopal Church. It is a bicameral legislature that includes the House of Deputies, with more than 800 lay and clergy members, and the House of Bishops, with more than 300 bishops. General Convention typically gathers every three years to support the mission and ministry of the church by adopting legislation of concern to the church; amending the Book of Common Prayer and the Constitution and Canons of the church; adopting a triennial budget for The Episcopal Church; and electing candidates to offices, boards, and other committees. The 79th General Convention met in Austin, Texas, in July 2018, and the 80th General Convention will meet in Baltimore July 7-14, 2022.

For more information, ontact the Very Rev. Miguelina Howell, dean of Christ Church Cathedral in the Episcopal Church in Connecticut and a chaplain to the House of Bishops, Lina.howell@cccathedral.org, or the Rev. Lester Mackenzie, rector of St. Mary's Church, Laguna Beach in the Diocese of Los Angeles, chaplain of the House of Deputies, lmackenzie@stmaryslb.org.

Read more here.
More reporting from Episcopal News Service is here.
Continuing events
SUNDAYS, 6 p.m.
Classical Sundays at Six: Chamber Music concerts
St. James in-the-City Church, Los Angeles
Live-streamed and on demand here
Coming up
WEDNESDAY, JULY 28, 4 - 5:30 p.m.
Ahimsa and Nonviolence: An Interfaith Exploration of Racism
The Guibord Center
Online: Register here
Livestream on Facebook here
Presentation by Tahil Sharma, regional coordinator for North America of the United Religions Initiative. Interfaith panelists will include Aziza Hasan, NewGround: A Muslim-Jewish Partnership for Change, and the Rev. Dr. Najuma Smith, USC Cecil Murray Center for Civic Engagement. As part of The Guibord Center’s series on nonviolence, this event will look at ahimsa, the Hindu concept of recognizing all life as sacred and of doing no harm. How do we embrace ahimsa and other forms of nonviolence while confronting the harm of racism within and around us?
Opportunities
TRAVEL & PILGRIMAGE
Central Europe: Oberammergau Passion Play
September 2022
Join Bishop Guy Erwin of the ELCA and Canon Jim Newman of the Episcopal Church for a 13-day journey across central Europe to Oberammergau, Germany. The day-long Oberammergau Passion Play is produced every decade and is a four-century “thank you” to God for saving the people of this picturesque Bavarian Alpine village. Experience this spiritual event and look at the culture and religion of Poland (Warsaw, Krakow, Auschwitz and Czestochowa), Hungary (Budapest), Czech Republic (Bratislava), Austria (Vienna & the Salzkammergut) and Germany (Oberammergau & Munich). Cost is $4,899 from Los Angeles including $450 taxes/airline surcharges.) Information: Jim Newman, 3590 Grand View Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90066; 310.391.5522 or 888.802.6722; rector@stbedesla.org. A full itinerary is here.

COSTA MESA: Sunday School Teacher, St. John The Divine Church, to plan lessons and teach one room of 2 - 6 students or more. Sunday mornings - 9:45 - 11 a.m. Prep time – flexible, 3 hours per week at $15 per hour. To apply, send a cover letter and resume to office@stjohncm.org. Include the job title in the subject line, or mail document to Saint John the Divine Episcopal Church. 183 E. Bay Street, Costa Mesa, CA 92627.

GLENDORA: Organist. Grace Episcopal Church is seeking a professionally trained church organist to be a part of our strong and vital music ministry. The organist will be expected to play for one Sunday service and one choir rehearsal per week, feast days, and for festive concerts. We offer a traditional Rite II service at 10 a.m. on Sundays. The preferred style of music is classical sacred music, ranging from Palestrina to Rutter. The pipe organ is by Manuel Rosales, built in 1977, with a new console in 1980, and substantial reconditioning work in 2016. The organ has two manuals and 26 ranks. The organist will work directly under our choirmaster/director of music in a collaborative manner. Salary: Starting at $12,000 per year, negotiable with demonstrated ability and experience. Weddings and funerals will provide additional compensation. Position available: Fall 2021. Application deadline: September 1, 2021. Please send resume to the Rev. Susan Scranton via email at grace@graceglendora.org or by postal mail at 555 E. Mountain View Avenue, Glendora 91741.

HOLLYWOOD/WEST HOLLYWOOD: Master of the Music (Organist/ Choirmaster), St. Thomas the Apostle Church. Part-time. This is a rare opportunity for a talented musician to undertake a leadership position in a prominent Anglo-Catholic parish (where parishioners love to sing) with one of the largest organs in Southern California. In addition to accompanying the weekly High Mass on the 85-rank, five-manual, American-Classic/English-Cathedral-Romantic AIDS-memorial organ (as well as other holy days and special services), the ideal candidate would take a cheerful approach to the reestablishing of our all-volunteer choir after a year-long, pandemic-related hiatus. Although the position works under the supervision of the rector, the Master of the Music is expected to be self-sufficient, collaborate with the organ curator for proper maintenance, and lead as the principal musician with dignity and compassion. Salary negotiable. Please send resume and letter of interest to the Parish Administrator, Joseph Warren (jwarren@saintthomashollywood.org).

LA CRESCENTA: Coordinador(a) de Oficina Parroquial. San Lucas de las Montañas. San Lucas está buscando un(a) Coordinador(a) de Oficina como parte del equipo de esta Misión para apoyar a Dios en lograr su visión para el mundo. Somos un congregación diversa que aspira a estar cada día más unida en Cristo, y con un alto grado de participación de voluntarios comprometidos. Si estás interesado(a) en utilizar tus talentos para una gran causa, aprender, y hacer una diferencia, te invitamos a aplicar. Puedes conseguir aquí la descripción de trabajo e información de cómo aplicar.

LA CRESCENTA: Church Office Coordinator, St. Luke’s of the Mountains. St. Luke’s is looking for a Church Office Coordinator as part of the team of this mission to support God in achieving God’s vision for the world. We are a diverse congregation that aspires to be more united in Christ every day, and with a high degree of participation of committed volunteers. If you are interested in using your talents for a great cause, learning, and making a difference, we invite you to apply. You can get the job description and information on how to apply here.

Additional job listings are here. Listings are free: send information to news@ladiocese.org. Applications for jobs must be sent to the contact included in the listing.